The Odenton MARC commuter rail station provided insufficient parking for a very popular transit facility.  The station building and platforms were old and in need of rehabilitation, and the station site was environmentally sensitive.  JMT’s task was to create a more functional, multi-purpose transit hub with renovated buildings and platforms as well as increased parking capacity.  JMT's unique approach to this project included:

• JMT found creative ways to turn project constraints into successes.
• A heavily forested, two acre wetland habitat which existed near the railroad tracks and the station building was modified to serve also as a water quality control facility for the project.
• An existing historical structure, the Odenton Bank, was preserved and renovated as a multi-use facility, including a museum and a concession stand.
• New State of Maryland forest conservation regulations, enacted during the design phase, were applied to shape an aesthetically-pleasing parking lot with a total capacity of 850 vehicles.
• The previously fragmented site was consolidated and organized into a multi-modal facility with a transit bus loop, a “kiss & ride” area, ADA-compliant facilities, new access roads, and a park-like plaza area that connected the station, the platform and the multi-use facility.
• The project's structural improvements included several ADA-compliant elements:  two 500 foot long, high-level loading platforms, a reconstructed pedestrian tunnel beneath the tracks, and new ramps and stairways.

Not only did JMT’s design fulfill the goal of upgrading the rail facility for increased commuter ridership, it achieved additional social and economic benefits for the community.  By meeting and exceeding the original concept for the multi-use, multi-modal transit facility, the Odenton rail station expansion is an example of excellence in transportation design.